


Situation Normal

by orphan_account



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crossdressing, Dom/sub, Enthusiastic Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Genderfluid, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light BDSM, M/M, Multi, Nuka World Spoilers, Past Abuse, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Prostitution, Recreational Drug Use, Safe Sane and Consensual, Safewords, Subdrop, Threesome, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:44:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because nothing says 'enlightening your lovers on the beauty of polyamory' like abandoning them for a month and hoping they get their shit together without you.</p>
<p>What could go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Situation Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate titles:  
> \- 'Poly Fallout 4: The Poly Musical'  
> \- 'Poly Fallout 4: This Time it's Poly'  
> \- 'Poly Fallout 4: The Fast & The Poly'  
> \- 'Poly Fallout 4: I Know What You Did Last Poly'

> _I'm never in one place I roam from town to town_  
>  _And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl, yeah_  
>  _I hop right into that car of mine and ride around the world_  
>  [Dion - The Wanderer](http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-wanderer-lyrics-dion.html#ixzz4JqYVCTvL)

“General, you can’t leave now!”

Alice had been waiting for Preston to come visit her. Ever since her announcement regarding her month-long vacation plans, all hell had broken loose. It was probably due to the fact that she had firmly stated that her month-long vacation was also a solo-vacation and that no one was allowed to know where she was headed. No friends, no robot butlers, no dogs. Just a month-long holiday so she could sort her life out and try to move on from the fact that the new Institute-sized pothole in town was all her fault. Shaun was staying with Nat in Diamond City, Dogmeat was being looked after by _literally everyone_ …all her bases were covered.

Well.

Most of them.

The bases where her lovers stood were largely uncovered, and judging from the reactions she had received, were also massively unstable and had abandonment issues.

“Preston, I’ll be fine,” she said patiently, as she had said multiple times before.

_“If you think it’s wise to be travelling on your own, then I won’t stop you. But this old ‘bot worries and no one worries me more than you, kid.”_

_“Nick, I’ll be fine.”_

_“C’mon doll, let me come with you! Think of all the stories there are, just waiting to unearthed and all the trouble we could be getting into_ together _!”  
_

_“Piper, I’ll be fine.”_

_“A young lady should not be travelling by herself. It is quite unsafe!”_

_“Curie, I’ll be fine.”_

_“Are you fucking joking!? You’ll be dead meat if you head out on your own! Don’t you know what sickos are out there, just waiting for someone like you to come around?”_

_“Cait, I’ll be fine.”_

_“Please be careful…I do worry about you…I shan’t dare to think of what I would do, should you not return.”_

_“Codsworth, I’ll be fine.”_

_“I can’t help but feel some…reservations regarding this trip of yours. I don’t want you getting hurt when there is a strong possibility of me preventing it.”_

_“Danse, I’ll be fine.”_

_“You know, I went out on my own once and got caught up in the middle of a battle between fifteen Super Mutants, three Deathclaws and a Queen Mirelurk. I died for a whole three hours before Carrington brought me back to life. Of course, whilst I was out, some ghouls came across my body and thought I’d make an excellent all-you-can-eat buffet. My body is 89% fibreglass now.”_

_“Deacon, I’ll be fine.”_

_“If you’re sure about this trip, then fine, just don’t expect me to be happy about it.”_

_“Hancock, I’ll be fine.”_

_“Please be safe. I know you need a break, and you deserve one really! I just…just be careful, okay? I don't want to lose you.”_

_“Mac, I’ll be fine.”_

_“I highly doubt that this is a wise decision, ma’am. However, if you believe it best, then I shall await your return. Just be careful out there.”_

_“X6, I’ll be fine.”_

_“Human stupid. Stronger together!”_

_“Strong, I’ll be fine. And don’t call me stupid!”_

It was sweet, knowing how concerned her friends were, no matter how poorly disguised their words, yet she refused to allow their worries to deter her from her plans. Alice had promised herself that she would get a well-deserved vacation after destroying the Institute, blowing up the grown-up version of her brother along with it, and now she was making good on her promise.

Plus, she was hoping that her absence would force the friends she was leaving behind to get over themselves and bond with each other. Alice was getting tired of being tugged and pulled in different directions, of being used in spiteful fights and childish bickerings. She adored her companions, but even she knew that this behaviour was toxic and unhealthy. She needed to remove herself from the situation and hopefully, her lovers would soon realise just how much they really have in common with each other.

“I know you’ve wanted this vacation for a long time General, but do you really need to leave at a time like this?” Preston persisted, watching from the doorway as Alice packed. She really wanted to take the Spray’n’Pray, but the Wazer Wifle her brother made for her was also begging for her attention. Of course, she could leave the Big Boy at home, but you never know when something needed to be Mini Nuked.

“At a time when the Commonwealth has never been more peaceful? At a time when kidnappings and raidings are at an all-time low?” she said, peering over at Preston with shocked eyes, “good god, you’re right. I should stay at home and keep an eye out for rogue radstags and ambitious bloatflies!”

“I don’t approve of your sarcasm, General,” Preston said, crossing his arms, his gaze hardening for a second. Alice stuck her tongue out at him before walking over, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him slightly.

“I’m sorry for cursing you with such a sassy General, but Preston you need to understand,” Alice said, beseeching him with her eyes, “I have planned this for months and I really, _really_ want to go. The Castle is safe, the Minutemen have posts everywhere and the Commonwealth fully supports us. You’ll be fine without me, I promise.”

Preston opened his mouth to retort, but Alice quickly placed a hand over his lips and smiled.

“If anything happens,” she said, stroking his cheek with her thumb, “then get Travis to announce it on the radio. I get signal pretty much everywhere, so there’s a good chance that I’ll hear it. Any trouble that happens while I'm gone, will be my first priority and I'll pop straight back. Promise.”

She felt Preston sigh beneath her hand, watching as his body melted under her gaze. She removed her hand and quickly pecked his lips before he could argue any further. “I would never abandon our cause and our people,” she said warmly, “and I would never abandon any of you either.”

“You say that, but you’re still leaving,” Preston retorted, brushing a lock of her hair out of her face, “but I suppose you deserve it. I just don’t understand why you want to go alone. Some of the others think you’re mad at them.”

Alice pursed her lips; her lovers were always so quick to judge and worry and twist things out of hand. “Some of them? What do the others think?”

Preston smiled. “They just think you’re plain mad, babe.”

“Offensive,” Alice tutted, flicking him on the nose. Being called babe never failed to create an ugly flush to creep up her neck and take over her face. Such comments made her tingle in all the right places, which her lovers were quick to take advantage of. She lost count of the amount of times she had been called ‘doll’, ‘sunshine’, ‘knockout’…good god, she should start charging them.

“Never said that I agreed with them,” he said, grinning. He glanced over her shoulder and nodded towards her bed. “Leave the Big Boy behind.”

“Thought I already was," Alice said cheekily, softly grinding her body against his. She adored ruffling his feathers, the same way she enjoyed teasing Curie and Danse. They would blush and falter, stammering and ducking their heads in the sweetest manner, which was so unlike her other lovers, who would try to outdo her, or just plain ignore such cheeky comments.

“Keep that up and you definitely won’t be allowed to leave,” Preston said, biting his lip as he felt his face prickle and flush. It wasn’t often that he would join in on her playful banter and when he did, it was such a _treat_.

“Ooh,” Alice whispered, curling her arms around his neck and pressing herself closer, “is that a promise?” His body was a strong wall and Alice loved melting against it. His fingers ghosted over her sides, leaving behind tingled trails on her skin. Nosing at his neck, Alice breathed in his scent which was purely unique to Preston. Soft, musky, with just a hint of gunpowder, Alice allowed herself the moment to bask in Preston’s presence.

His fingers had trailed up her spine, slowly crawling close to the front of her body and towards her bre—

“Miss Alice! This behaviour is _most_ inappropriate! This is your father’s bedroom; he would not approve of such canoodling and…aren’t you supposed to be packing?” Codsworth’s sudden scolding voice caused the pair to jump apart.

Preston ducked his head, whilst Alice’s face grew hot from embarrassment. Her eyes widened with mortification as the only family member she had left floated into the room. Being caught in the act, or being caught in what could have _led_ to the act, by Codsworth made Alice feel as though her Grandfather himself had walked in.

“R-Right, let me just, u-um, yeah,” she stuttered, turning to remove the Big Boy from her bag, replacing it with the Wizer Wifle. Guess she’ll have to Mini Nuke some bad guys another day. She could feel Preston’s gaze on the back of her neck, but she staunchly repressed her urge to turn around.

Though her month-long vacation was, indeed, a month-long plan, Alice knew in her heart that she would probably be back after a fortnight. She loved her partners, and would miss their small quirks and flaws too much to be gone for any longer than a couple of weeks.

However, this trip was about more than just herself and she intended to follow it through. Hopefully, without her around to act as a catalyst for conversations and drinking nights, her lovers would grow to understand each other more. Fuck, they didn't need to fall in love, or even _like_ , everyone she was with; they just needed to understand that polyamory wasn't a competition and that they didn't need to constantly compare relationships and people.

“I’ll wait outside for you then,” Preston said, leaving the room. Codsworth hovered beside her and Alice sighed softly. Even when he wasn’t trying to guilt-trip her, Preston managed to arouse a sense of remorse within her stomach. It was a skill that all her lovers had seemingly acquired and it would be her doom should they ever come to realise how much power they had over her.

“I just want them to get along,” she murmured to Codsworth, “is that too much to ask for? I mean, they don't have to fall in love with each other, but I do want them to communicate more and just understand each other. They need to understand that they don't need to compete for my love, or sleep with everyone I'm sleeping with. I mean, I'd never force them into doing something, or someone, they hate, and I'm incredibly lucky that they're all so supportive of me being poly. I don't know. I just feel that me being around isn't giving them the chance to get to know each other. Hopefully, with me gone, they will get that chance.”

Codsworth whirred softly as he mulled over her words. “It is a wonderful thing to hope for, Miss Alice, but maybe you are asking too much of them? And perhaps leaving isn't the best course of action? I fear distrust and past conflict runs far deeper within some of them than we first thought; leaving them without a mediator such as yourself would probably be detrimental at best. But I suppose in time, a degree of civility could settle over them, with or without you.”

“Such strong words of encouragement,” Alice remarked, gazing at her packed rucksack. Five guns and two combat knives would be enough, right? She snorted and prodded the bag with her finger. “Remember the last time I wanted a vacation? The only trouble I had then was picking which bikinis I wanted and whether Factor 50 would be too much.”

“How times have changed,” Codsworth said, a tad mournful as he watched Alice shove in as many Stimpacks and Radaways as she could into the bag. Curie had been most worried about Alice’s plans and had given her a lifetime’s supply of medical gear. MacCready hadn’t been much better, trying to get Alice to accept all his ammo…most of which wouldn’t even suit the guns she had chosen.

“I’m nothing if not adaptable though,” Alice said, forcing in a tiny bottle of Rad-X alongside a Med-X injection. She never would have dreamed that these would end up being her vacation essentials; she was beginning to miss the days of sunscreen and bite repellent.

“That you are,” Codsworth said, feeling pride in his old circuits, “now come! You have quite the farewell party gathering outside and it would be rather amiss to keep them waiting any longer!”

Alice’s grin fell slightly at the thought of her lovers. Though she had ventured out by herself before, her escapades never lasted longer than a couple of days. It was only when she was with one of her lovers that she would leave for weeks on end. Though, such escapades were far and few in-between, what with the appearance of her little synth brother. Shaun was the sweetest kid and she loved spoiling him with the scavenged parts that he would ask for. After all, he made the Wizer Wifle from an alarm clock, two fuses and duct tape…the kid was clearly a genius.

His skills with junk also gave her a reason to berate her lovers for bitching at her every time she picked up an old telephone or a broken lamp.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Alice pulled on her jacket and gloves. Kellog had been an utter dick, but she couldn’t help but admire his taste in clothes. His jacket alone had saved her ass more times than she cared to count. Hoisting her bag onto her back, Alice rolled her shoulders and stretched slightly. Her intended destination wasn’t that far, but she couldn’t tell what kind of hassle she would get once she was there.

“Right,” Alice muttered, “let’s head out.”

“After you Miss Alice!” Codsworth said, floating after her as she marched out of the house. Glancing towards the bridge that led toward Red Rocket, Alice could see a small crowd of her lovers and friends. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she walked towards them, shaking her head in disbelief.

“You know,” she started, once she was near enough for them all to hear, “I’m not going off to war. I am coming back.”

“Famous last words,” Piper muttered, rolling her eyes as she passed Alice a small shoulder bag.

“Piper is right,” Danse added, looking incredibly uncomfortable out of his Power Armour and out of the safe haven of his room, “many Brotherhood soldiers promised that they would return and I’m sad to report that very few actually did.”

“O ye of little faith,” Alice quipped, opening up the bag and flushing pleasantly when she saw what was inside, “what’s all this?”

“Someone won’t tell us where she’s going, so we don’t know how far this someone will be and if this someone has enough supplies for the road,” Piper said, pointedly glaring at Alice, “so we packed this someone extra. Just in case.”

Alice swallowed and hoped her blush wasn’t too bright.

Fuck.

She plum forgot to pack anything that resembled food and water.

Glancing down at the bag, she shifted through the boxes of purified water, snack cakes, tarberries, _oh god_ , they packed her some potato chips too. She looked up with watery eyes and felt her bottom lip trembled. Alice didn’t deserve a single one of her nine lovers, but she cherished them dearly and almost cancelled her plans there and then.

_Almost_.

“Ahem!” she cleared her throat and hoisted the shoulder bag over her right arm. She took a determined step backwards and nodded firmly. “Thank you. This was very sweet of you, and I promise I’ll bring you back some souvenirs from wherever I’m going.” 

“Where is it you’re headed again?” Deacon called out nonchalantly. He had hung back behind the crowd, perfectly encapsulating the charade of not giving a fuck, whilst secretly giving so many fucks, he didn’t know how to handle them all.

“Not a chance Deacon,” Alice replied smoothly, “you’ve stalked me enough for one lifetime.”

He stuck his tongue out at her.

She stuck hers out too.

“Children, when we’ve quite finished,” Nick said patiently, with the air of a man who has said those words far too many times in his life.

“Ah, yeah,” Alice said, retracting her tongue and bunching her fists nervously. She regarded her friends and lovers. She was sure that her expression reflected the sad faces around her and felt guilt nip once more at her stomach. She wasn’t exactly worried about any of them; they could take care of themselves…but she was worried about how much they would worry. MacCready would probably forgo sleeping and eating in favour of keeping himself busy and distracted enough so he wouldn’t worry about her. Danse would most likely lock himself up, too unsure of his standing within their group of friends to socialise with any of them without the aid of alcohol. Deacon would probably leave seconds after she did and— _no_ , she was not going down that road!

She needed to have more faith in them.

They were grown-ass adults who could take care of themselves; they would be more than fine without her.

Alice gave her lovers and friends a beatific smile and bounced on her toes lightly.

“Alright. Preston is in charge, so—”

“Not a good idea General, do not put me in charge.” Preston could remember the last time he was put in charge. It was not pretty, and he still had the scars to show for it.

“—Nick’s in charge, so—”

“You know they don’t listen to me.”

Alice was shocked and appalled, her mouth gaping as she digested this information.

“I thought everyone listened to you,” she said, slightly wounded by the mere thought of someone not listening to Nick. She shook her head and frowned. “I changed my mind. You’re all grown-ass adults, you shouldn’t need someone in charge…so, I guess that means you’re all in charge!”

“Fuck yes!” Cait crowed, eyes lighting up with the many possibilities that Alice had just created for her.

“Fuck no,” X6 said plainly, ignoring Cait when she flipped him off.

“So, please be safe. Be nice to each other. Don’t kill anyone. I love you all. Look after Dogmeat,” Alice instructed, leaning down to cup Dogmeat’s face and kiss his snout sweetly. She looked up and tried to ignore the sad faces that surrounded her. The vibes were terrible and Mama Murphy would probably have a field day with the clashing auras right now, but Alice didn’t have time to muse over such matters.

“I’ll miss you all. Be back soon!”

Alice blew them all one last kiss before turning her heel and marching out of Sanctuary. She smiled to herself as she adjusted her radio and began to hum along to the song that crackled out from the tiny speaker.

_“What if there was a place with all the zip of Nuka-Cola!_ _Wouldn’t that be the cheer-cheer-cheeriest place in all the world~!”_


End file.
